The Sunday Read: ‘The Great Freight-Train Heists of the 21st Century’

Congress revolts and approves sanctions against Russia. The press secretary quits. The White House looks to discredit the special prosecutor investigating the president. And the president says he has complete power to pardon family, aides and maybe even himself. We make sense of the news from this weekend. Guest: Glenn Thrush, a White House correspondent. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2uTKz1k. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

24 Jul 201719min

After Mosul, Iraq, was liberated, two Times reporters encountered a group of women who had been enslaved by the Islamic State for years. Days after the city’s fall, they still believed that the militant group had taken over the world. Guests: Rukmini Callimachi, who covers terrorism and the Islamic State for The Times, and Andy Mills, a producer for “The Daily” who is in Iraq with her. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2vovtEe. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

21 Jul 201720min

Today, exclusive audio from The Times’s wide-ranging interview with the president. Speaking with three New York Times reporters in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump discussed his conversation with President Vladimir Putin and expressed his anger toward major figures in the Russia investigation — including his own attorney general. Guests: Michael S. Schmidt and Maggie Haberman, who, along with Peter Baker, interviewed the president on Wednesday. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2hjqSNx. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

20 Jul 201719min

What’s it like to be a Republican lawmaker in Washington in the Trump era? A frank discussion about being a congressman when the House, Senate, and presidency are controlled by your party — but just about nothing is getting done and all the usual rules have been broken. Guest: Tom Rooney, a Republican congressman from Florida. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2uLom8B. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

19 Jul 201724min

On Monday night, two more Republican senators came out against the health care bill. Is that the fatal blow? Guests: Carl Hulse, who covers Congress for The Times; Maggie Haberman, who traveled with President Trump to France last week. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2uC0Zhh. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

18 Jul 201716min

Early in his presidency, Donald J. Trump called for a federal commission to investigate an issue that was personal for him: voter fraud in the 2016 election. The de facto leader of that commission is Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state and a leading advocate of restrictive voting laws. Here’s what you need to know about Mr. Kobach, his beliefs and what he has accomplished in Kansas. Guests: Michael Wines, a Times correspondent who has written about the president’s commission; Elaine Bowers, a Republican state senator in Kansas. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2gMxzr0. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

17 Jul 201720min

Donald Trump Jr. sends an email. Hours later, his father gives a speech. Conspiracy or coincidence? We unpack the timeline of events in June 2016. Plus: A group of international scientists plans to send messages into space to see if we’re alone. But what if we’re not? Guests: Peter Baker, our chief White House correspondent; Douglas Vakoch, the leader of a new group that will beam messages into space; Steven Johnson, who wrote about Mr. Vakoch’s efforts for The New York Times Magazine. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2uFcX9q. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

14 Jul 201722min

It was the secret force behind stories about John Edwards’s $400 haircut and Mitt Romney’s decision to put the family dog on the roof of his car. Donald Trump Jr. says it motivated him to meet with a Russian lawyer. We discuss the dark art of opposition research. Guests: Jonathan Martin, a national political correspondent for The Times; Ben LaBolt, the national press secretary for President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2vF4L6w. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

13 Jul 201715min